Saturday, August 22, 2026
Stornaway, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
61F, cloudy then some sun
Now that we have visited Scotland’s Orkney, Shetland Islands,
and the Hebrides, we can almost see the scope of Scotland’s rich island history and
diverse geography. The islands are known
for their cultural significance, influenced by Celtic, Norse (aka Vikings), and
English-speaking people. I am trying to sort it all out.
Stornoway is the capital of the Isle of Lewis with dramatic coastlines, Iron Age engineering, and rich Viking folklore
included! It is a compact town with a population of roughly 7,000 residents,
making it the largest settlement in the Outer Hebrides. Outer Hebrides has a population
of 26,000.
Our private tour guide, Gordon, of Hebridean Island Tours,
was superb as he guided us to many special sites. We avoided bus traffic and crowds at every
stop, and he even arranged for no rain! www.hebrideanisletours.co.uk
On the road, Gordon pointed out that the landscape was made
up of a lot of peat in the area we were passing through. Peat is an organic
soil, which contains more than 60% organic matter and exceeds 20 inches in
depth. Add to the things I did not know: Peat bogs are essential to the
environment, holding twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests. In this
area one can no longer harvest peat except for one’s own use as fuel for the
home. Gordon said that sheep and red deer have adapted to peat fields, few
other animals have.
Our first stop was the Callanish Stones (Callanish I). No one else in the van wanted to visit the stones, so I paid the fee—I was not going to miss such Neolithic stones that predate Stonehenge by 2000 years. It is the oldest man made rock formation on earth! The feeling there is just as sacred as at Stonehenge. No one knows why the stones were placed as they were or why here.
The stones are Lewisian Gneiss and are local, as compared to Stonehenge where the stones are from Wales, England, and Scotland. Callanish I consists of a stone circle of 13 stones with a monolith near the middle. The tallest stone is 12 ft. high and weighs about 7 tons. Within the circle is a chambered tomb. I love mysteries and I bought a book there to help me understand, Contemplating Calanais, A Guide to Standing Stones, by Ian McHardy.
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| Callanish I |
Our final stop was the town of Stornoway. Shopping! For 45
minutes. In an area noted for its Harris tweed (think the Isles of Lewis and
Harris). Such beautiful handwoven material, coats, scarves, hats, purses, wallets,
oh my. I ran in and out of shops with TK trailing behind. I wonder if there is
such a thing as a shopping tour in the ports. Sign me up!
Time for TK’s Takes!
TK’s Takes: He did not see any swimming
pools at any houses, but almost all the houses had clothes on clothes lines. He
saw 3 dolphins off our starboard balcony after dinner. No trees to speak of.
They do not grow well. Replanting has been attempted. No farms to speak of—hay bales,
horses, sheep (Hebridean, Manx Loaghtan), a few Highlander cows. Lots of dogs, one cat.
